Public Transport: New timetables, new services
TRAIN services in non-peak times will be boosted to ease crippling congestion on Sydney roads, making life easier for locals and tourists alike.
Over time travel patterns have evolved, with people relying more on public transport for weekends. Between 2013 and 2016 alone, there was a 68% surge in demand for more services, indicating a need for change.
As of Monday 27 November, this change will take place. 750 extra weekend services will be introduced across the network, with 70% of stations across the rail systems set to receive a train every 15 minutes for a majority of the day. Train travellers will also get more services late at night, creating more consistent public transport options outside of peak hours.
Introduction of these new services will also assist Sydneysiders and tourists getting to and from the airport, along with destinations such as the Blue Mountains.
Trains servicing the Domestic and International Airport will double from four to eight per hour during the day on weekends, and, run every 15 minutes late at night.
The Blue Mountains is also a huge domestic and international tourist drawcard, with more than a million people visiting every year. This popularity is reflected on the Sydney to Blue Mountains line, with some services running at more than 150% capacity on weekends.
To meet demand, in future there will now be more express services, more seats and reduced travel times to key Blue Mountains destinations. 24 dedicated express trains between Blue Mountains and Sydney will be implemented on weekends, with eight-car express tourist trains cutting out 20 minutes of return travel times.
This is all part of the More Trains More Services’ program – a capital investment of over $1.5 billion to provide an urgent uplift in customer service on Sydney’s rail network.
To find out more about the timetables changes across train, bus and ferry services, go to: transportnsw.info
Originally published as Public Transport: New timetables, new services